EDMONTON - I won’t waste our time kvetching over the singular lack of imagination involved in launching another burger emporium, however elevated. People love ’em and that’s that. The questions, then, must not be existential but simple: is there value for the buck? If the idea of a burger-centric concept bores or repels you, you won’t be inclined to walk through the doors to begin with. If so, you will be in a distinct minority.

After a recent visit to this happily re-imagined resto on the 104th Street market strip once occupied by a tired Ric’s Grill, I can testify entering this here prairie patty portal is worth it, even for burger-skeptics like this one. By any counts, it’s a step up from its predecessor, and a lot more fun, fitting in the urban ’hood smoothly.

It’s a terrific space, the ground floor of the historic, listed Metals Building, and the new tenants have wisely opened the room up even further, with a variety of seating possibilities. Alas, the old honestly distressed brick walls — which look so smashing set against old wood and open beams and hip lighting fixtures — have been painted over in mucky earthtones.

And like so many other places, there are just too many damned sports TVs suspended everywhere, bloated digital magpies seasonally spewing (say) ’Bombers and Tiger-Cat snoozers with not a single lucid set of eyeballs fixed on the contest. Sigh.

That said, they have an appealing little menu at The Burg, and have made an effort to stretch a bit beyond the standard industry banalities. While management doesn’t actually source their suppliers (other than Vienna Bakery) on the menu or website, you’ll get a unprompted homily from your server on The Burg’s dedication to all things local.

The chef makes his own pickles, for example, which although sadly not full sour kosher dills, are worthy new garlic jobs, quite tasty. They advertise homemade gravy made with roasted bones over a two-day cycle, and house-cure their bacon. The beef is Alberta un-aged Angus chuck.

We started with pickles (75 cents each) and then, in honour (?) of Canada Week, a shared order of so-called “perfect poutine” ($8.50). Those who like the dish should be happy enough with this iteration of the gloppy standby, full marks for the house gravy and chips. Moi? Meh.

The large appetizer menu ranges from short ribs to halibut tacos, nothing particularly out of the ordinary.

We also passed around a fresh, well-dressed arugula salad (one of five available), arguably on the smallish side at $12 — but no complaints quality-wise.

Aside from the 12 set-feature burgers up for grabs on the menu, obsessive-compulsive list-takers will enjoy filling out a “build your own burger” form. It’s either fussy or fun depending on your perspective, but there is certainly plenty of material to work with, nearly 70 options covering bun, patty, veggies, condiments, add-ons ($1.50) and premium add-ons ($2.75). And good for The Burg for offering some relatively esoteric choices, such as blackberry gastrique, sriracha aioli, maple ketchup and triple cream brie, among many others. Gimmicky, maybe, but it’s a bit of a kick.

Prices begin at $10 for the basic eight-ounce Angus patty, with reductions (vegan, six-oz. beef) and surcharges (halibut, bison) for other burgers. With a variety of sensible accompaniments — caramelized onions always rock — we tried the basic Angus, vegan and turkey burgers on better-than-average prairie-seed and onion buns and found each quite respectable. (Gluten-free and brioche also available.)

Strange though, that even the savvy beef-loving daughter of a prairie rancher at the table actually preferred the vegan and turkey entries, as did your correspondent. The beef burger was a bit dry, no doubt about it, oddly less juicy than the turkey. Sides — the usual fried suspects plus roast fingerlings — can be had for four or five dollars.

On the small, but intelligent and fairly priced, beer and wine list available, we picked a refreshing, grapefruity bottle of Kiwi New Harbour sauvignon blanc ($32).

Service was friendly and reasonably efficient. The place is brand new, so slack needs to be cut to some degree, but here is a plea for managers to carefully explain each dish — with regular tastings — to their young staff.

An appealingly presented, straight-ahead lemon tart with a delicious dollop of minted whipping cream ($6) capped off what turned out to be a satisfying midweek night downtown.

What The Burg may lack in terms of conceptual originality is at least partially countered by its welcoming ways, in terms of its comely space, eager service and especially, an inclusive menu approach that doesn’t demonize or simply ignore altogether non-red-meat eating/healthier-dining customers.

It’s cheering and instructive that, like the other good uber-burger place in town — the Delux stores — The Burg is locally owned. Here’s hoping.

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.